rather by Masonic command than from any personal desire. The new scheme permitted. The new scheme permitted the Grand Lodge to select the most appropriate men for the work, and the defined duration of their service prevented the duty of relieving the distressed from falling upon any one man. The influence and power of the Grand Stewards' Lodge was at one time very seriously threatened by another set of officials-a set not contemplated in the original constitutions -the Grand Visitors. It will be remembered that two of these had been appointed during Gen. Morton's administration, their main purpose being to collect the dues of the country Lodges. They were also, however, to superintend the "work" and try to establish its uniformity, to explain the regulations and requirements of the Grand Lodge, to heal disputes and in a general way to act as the representative of the Grand Lodge in places where that body could not reach, which was, in a sense, all of New York State outside of a limited radius around New York city. An example of their business, apart of the collection of dues and the exemplification of the work, is given in the minutes of the meeting of Sept. 7, 1808, when a brother who had been expelled from Revival Lodge, No. 117, at Windham, Greene county, appealed to the Grand Lodge against that sentence, and that body at once referred the matter "to Right Worshipful Grand Visitor Edmonds, the said Lodge being within his district, with power to inquire into the facts relative to the said brother's expulsion, and report the same to this Grand Lodge."

The original Visitors, three in number, were G. N. Edmonds, G. V. Woods and Philetus Sawyer, were assigned to distinct parts of the State, but their duties were conducted under the supervision of the Grand Stewards' Lodge. On Aug. 31, 1808, for instance, we are told, that Grand Visitor Edmonds "made a report to the Grand Stewards of his visitation of the Lodges in this, his district, and of other matters connected therewith, and stated

an account of moneys received and expended, by which it appears that there remains in his hands a balance of $50.75." Grand Visitor Woods also appeared at the same meeting and reported that instead of being in pocket by his labors he was short $63.68. The accounts of both of these brothers, after being examined. and audited, were passed and the Grand Treasurer directed to receive Edmonds' balance and pay Woods the money he claimed. The nature of the work carried on by these Visitors can most clearly be understood from a perusal of the following report which was submitted to the Grand Lodge Sept. 7, 1808, and unanimously adopted:

The committee appointed at the last Grand Stewards' Lodge, to whom were referred the reports of the Right Worshipful Grand Visitor Edmonds, and the Right Worshipful Grand Visitor Woods at the last Grand Stewards' Lodge, report that in their opinion the dues of Hudson Lodge, No. 13, mentioned in the report of the Right Worshipful Grand Visitor Edmonds, antecedent to the 30th of May, 5801, ought to be remitted. They are also of the opinion that the warrant of Washington Lodge, held in the town of Livingston, ought to be surrendered, and that the Right W. Grand Visitor Edmonds should be directed to procure the surrender thereof. They are also of opinion that the warrant of Columbia Lodge, No. 101, should be surrendered, unless the said Lodge do, within six months, pay to the Grand Lodge their past dues. and that in case of such failure the R. W. Grand Visitor Edmonds be directed to procure the surrender of the said warrant. They are also of opinion that the dues of Friendship Lodge, No. 116, should, under the peculiar circumstances of their case, be remitted to the last June festival. They are also of opinion that the dues of St. Lawrence Lodge, No. 92, and of St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 48, should not be remitted, but that the R. W. Grand Visitor Edmonds be authorized to accept from the said Lodges, respectively, such sums in compromise of their past dues, as he may think fit. They are also of opinion that the offer of compromise made by Morton Lodge, No. 91, should be accepted, and that the R. W. Grand Visitor Edmonds be directed to receive the same accordingly.

Your committee are of opinion that both the R. W. Grand Visitors Edmonds and Woods, whose reports have been submitted to them, are entitled to the thanks of this Grand Lodge for the industry and

ability with which they discharged their respective duties.

However, in spite of their industry, we do not find much evidence that the Grand Visitors were popular in the country districts. They were rather looked upon in the light of privileged tax collectors outside the city, and within it there was seemingly a prevailing idea that their commissions and expenses really used up, as they certainly did, the largest share if not the whole of their collections. But that, in the circumstances of the case, was to be expected, and if these wandering brethren had only promoted a feeling of harmony, of homogeneity, between the city and country Lodges they would have deserved all the commissions and votes of thanks and other emoluments practical and honorary which they received. But in this, we fear, they greatly failed. After a while many complaints were received reflecting on the Grand Visitors, and suggesting plans for the improvement of their business methods. These complaints finally compelled the Grand Lodge to take action, and in 1814 the officers were appointed a committee to review the office and its business and to suggest possible improvements. committee may have acted in concert, but we doubt it. The report which was submitted in their name was signed by De Witt Clinton alone, and it is very probable that he took hold of the question at issue, solved it himself in his own masterly way and that the others merely formally indorsed it. The following was the report presented to the Grand Lodge meeting on June 1, 1814 (De Witt Clinton was not present):

That

From a variety of causes the system of District Grand Visitors has not realized the expectations that had been formed of it; that some of the Grand Visitors have declined acting and few have attended to their duty.

That in the opinion of the Grand officers the establishment of three Grand Visitations would conduce to the greater uniformity of working, would facilitate the collection of the dues, would promote a more intimate connection with the Lodges, and

would essentially subserve the interests of Freemasonry.

That this plan would have been recommended at an earlier period had they not been impressed with an opinion that its success must depend upon the selection of proper characters to superintend its execution. They, therefore, have been diligently employed in investigating the qualifications of suitable candidates and now feel considerable confidence in recommending the following arrangement:

That the State be divided into three Grand Masonic Districts for visitation.

First-The First District to consist of the Southern districts of the State, except the city of New York, and of the counties of Putnam, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan.

Second-The Second District to consist of the residue of the Middle and Eastern District, except the counties of Clinton and Franklin.

Third-The Third District to consist of the Western District, and the counties of Clinton and Franklin.

That the W. Brother Thomas Lowndes, of the city of New York, be appointed R. W. Grand Visitor of the First District; W. Brother Ebenezer Wadsworth, of Lebanon, in the county of Columbia, be appointed R. W. Grand Visitor of the Second Dis

trict, and the W. Brother Enos, of Eaton, in the county of Madison, be appointed R. W. Grand Visitor of the Third District.

That the rules heretofore adopted for Grand Visitors shall apply to the present arrangement, except that, in addition to these expenses a suitable compensation shall be allowed to the Grand Visitors, and that the Grand officers be authorized to agree with the Grand officers upon the amount of their respective compensation.

No one familiar with Grand Lodge business will fail to agree that this document emanated solely from De Witt Clinton. No other officer would have presumed to create three new offices, to district the State and to name three new Grand Lodge officers. To make the authorship of the document more certain, it was not placed before the meeting in the usual way. Immediately after reading it, Grand Secretary Wells started upon the reading of what may be termed a supplementary report, from which we make the following extracts:

Resolved, That the foregoing report be accepted and the plan therein adopted; and that the warrants heretofore granted to Grand Visitors in this State

be, and the same are hereby revoked and declared to be of no further effect, and that the Grand Visitors heretofore appointed do severally surrender their warrants to the Grand Visitor of the district in which they reside, by whom the said warrants shall be transmitted to the Grand Secretary.

Resolved, Also, that the Grand Visitors appointed as aforesaid have, and they hereby are invested with, full power and authority to call upon the late Grand Visitors within their respective districts, and the representatives of such of them as may be deceased, for a settlement of the moneys received by them, and to come to such settlement with them touching the same as such Grand Visitors shall respectively think proper, and to receive whatever balance or balances may be due to the Grand Lodge, and proper receipts and acquittances for to make and give.

Resolved, Also, that the Grand Visitors hereby appointed as aforesaid have and they are hereby invested with full power and authority to compound with the Lodges within their respective districts for all dues already due and payable to the Grand Lodge, or which shall become so on or before the festival of St. John the Baptist, next ensuing, provided satisfactory evidence shall be given to him that such Lodge or Lodges with whom he is so authorized to compound are unable to pay the whole amount of their dues, in which case the Grand Visitor shall and may take such compromise and settlement as they, in their discretion, shall think fit.

Resolved, Further, that the said Grand Visitors be, and they are hereby expressly directed, to inform the Lodges under their respective visitations, that this Grand Lodge does demand an immediate settlement and payment of their dues to the festival aforesaid, and that they will vigorously enforce the punctual payment of their dues that shall accrue from and after that time.

This, with another clause ordering the report and resolutions to be printed and circulated, was unanimously carried and so the system of Grand Visitor got a renewed lease of life, another license of power under new men.

But it was not for long. In 1816, Ulster, Sullivan, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties were taken from the first district and added to the second, probably to more closely equalize the fees of the Visitors in the second and third districts, and in 1819 an effort was made to create eighteen districts throughout

the State with a Grand Visitor in each, the remuneration to be $2.50 a day, a day to be eight hours' actual work, or thirty miles' travel, or generally determined on that basis, but this drastic measure fell through. The three Visitors held their ground, however, with difficulty, and at the meeting on June 8, 1820, a motion to put them out of office was voted down, simply because it was inexpedient. At the same meeting they each presented a report from which we glean some light on the way. in which they pursued the financial duties of their office. In first district Brother Hicks collected $37. In the second Brother Wadsworth reported having visited 100 Lodges, of which sixty paid in full, twelve paid in part, eighteen paid nothing, but sent in their returns, seven made no returns at all and three -Malta, No. 106, Charity, No. 224, and Halcyon, No. 240, surrendered their charters. His collections amounted to $1,291.87. Brother Enos reported 117 Lodges visited, seventy-two paid in full, fifteen in part, twenty-nine paid nothing and one, Olive Branch, No. 244, ceased. His collections footed up $1,956.60. Brother Hicks was too bashful to claim any recompense, but Brother Wadsworth was allowed $1,130 and Brother Enos $1,300. Thus the collection of $3,285 cost $2,430, rather an expensive arrangement, and it is little wonder that when the figures were fully laid before the brethren they welcomed a motion to the effect that the resolution creating the three Visitors be repealed and adopted it. That settled the question of the employment of such aids to harmony for a brief time, but it was felt that some system of bringing the country and city Lodges into closer personal relations was needed and this matter, the foundation of the trouble between the city and country which caused disunion in the craft for a few years, will again occupy our attention, but in another chapter.

NE long standing subject of dispute between between the the city and country Lodges, the older ones at least, was the numbering of the Lodges. Some had their numbers on their warrants, others had not, and in many the numbers were meaningless so far as real numerical precedence went. In 1809 a petition from three of the city Lodges was read, praying that numbers might be placed on their warrants. These were Mount Moriah, Benevolent and Clinton Lodges, whose numbers on the roll were respectively 132, 142 and 143. A committee was appointed to arrange this bit of important detail along with the Grand Secretary, and on March 7, 1810, that committee, the minutes say, "made a report which was read and accepted." What the nature of this report was it seems impossible to determine; it most likely was simply one of progress, or one that defined nothing. McClenachan seems to favor the former theory and says that in connection with this committee the Secretary reported thereon June 4, 1819. But it seems hardly likely that a committee would continue at work during some nine years without being heard from in some way, if it is possible to conceive of a committee holding on to any species of merely honorary work for so long a period at all and under any circumstances. The Secretary, however, submitted a report in 1818 showing exactly the condition, the standing of the Lodges

according to their received, adopted or authorized numbers. In compiling this last, however, he had to use considerable ingenuity, for, as he reported to the Grand Lodge previous to its issuance, the compilation was a delicate and difficult one. He said, for instance, Sept. 3, 1817, that "in numbering the Lodges a confusion had arisen in the Lodges standing between No. 18 and No. 25, to remedy which he had assigned to St. John's Lodge, held at Warwick, Orange county, the No. 19; Lafayette Lodge, held at Amenia, Dutchess county, the No. 20; Montgomery Lodge, held at Stillwater, Saratoga county, the No. 21; Amicable Lodge, held at Whitestown, Oneida county, the No. 22; Ontario Lodge, held at Canandaigua, Ontario county, the No. 23; Kingston Lodge, held at Kingston, Ulster county, the No. 24, which arrangement is conformable to the dates of their respective warrants and does not interfere with the number of any other existing Lodges. To St. Patrick's Lodge, held at Johnstown, Montgomery county, which, had it made its submission in proper season, could have claimed the No. 8, but which has only lately yielded to the authority of this Grand Lodge, the No. 9 (vacant by the surrender of the warrant of Howard Lodge) has been assigned."

On March 3, 1819, the Grand Secretary stated that "by the surrender of various warrants a numerical arrangement of the Lodges within this jurisdiction, to correspond with the

dates of their respective warrants, might now be made with little difficulty, and that he had accordingly made a classification of the same. These changes were very numerous and drastic. Zion Lodge, formerly No. 62, was made No. 3; Abram's, No. 15, was made 83; Washington, No. 16, was made 84; Warren, No. 17, was made 85, and Morton, No. 50, became No. 108. St. Andrew's, hitherto No. 3, became No. 7, and St. Patrick's, for some time No. 9, was sent down the list two numbers; Holland Lodge, No. 8, became No. 16; Trinity, No. 10, became No. 39, and L'Union Francaise, No. 14, became No. 71. These are specimens of the changes made. The whole may be found and studied more carefully in our comparative table, showing at a glance the changes made in the numerical designation of all the Lodges since the beginning, so far as recorded, of Masonry in the State. The list as arranged in 1819 was supposed to be final, and, with that idea in view, the following motion was passed on its being agreed to: "That no document or surrendered warrant, the number of which may have been employed in the preceding arrangement, shall ever hereafter be revived." But the list had to be overhauled more than once in the future before the numbers were definitely settled and all parties were, or declared themselves actively or passively to be perfectly satisfied.

With a desire for regularity in numbers came a wish for a new constitution. The one issued in 1801 still prevailed and it had long become out of date. Its provisions had been rendered in many places inoperative by subsequent legislation, and, besides, it was felt that the craft had so far advanced beyond the purview of the laws of 1801-practically those of 1785-that a new arrangement on conservative lines was needed. In 1816, when it was thought that this important matter should no longer be delayed, quite a number of important amendments were presented to the Grand Lodge on March 6. One of these, that con

cerning the Grand Stewards' Lodge, has already been enlarged upon. Another alteration of great moment—an alteration in keeping with the democratic spirit of the country— was that which Deputy Grand Mastership and the Grand Secretaryship be elective offices and that the Grand Secretary "be allowed an annual salary of $600, payable quarterly, in full for his services, and that all money he may expend for books, stationery or in any other manner in the discharge of his duties. shall be allowed and paid by the Grand Lodge." At the same meeting a committee, Brothers Vanderbilt, Lewis, Seymour and Telfair, was ordered to report at the next communication "what amendments are necessary to the constitution of this Grand Lodge for the better government of the Fraternity generally." That committee, so far as we can see, made no report. A number of other matters were presented at the meeting of March. 6, but laid over for consideration until June 12, when they came up for discussion and carried.

The first of these was for the time a startling innovation. When Lodges in those days. passed from labor to refreshment there was nothing symbolic about the phrase or the after proceedings. Indeed the harmony which resulted by the aid of the punch bowl was rather hilarious and disgraceful at times, and some Lodges had such practical ideas of refreshment that they ordered their wines and spirits, their ale and beer and cigars, in wholesale manner and boasted a complete outfit of glasses, decanters and other harmonious paraphernalia. The cost of all this was very great. In 1818, for instance, the Treasurer of Albion Lodge, No. 26, as we learn from a manuscript history of Grand Master Isaac Phillips, declared to the Lodge that its "expenditures were unmasonic and would eventually undermine the principles of the Order; that for fourteen years the Lodge had only expended an average of $64 per annum in charity, while for fourteen years it had expended an average